The Thief's Daughter
by TheCaramelSecrets
Summary: A girl raised by Team Galactic is suddenly 'rescued' by Champion Ash. Her view of the world is turned upside down as she has to figure out right and wrong- and her true calling.
1. Chapter 1

The two men laughed, enjoying themselves. For their vacation, they had chosen to tour around Sinnoh, and cause as much trouble as possible. One was drunk, and the other not far from it. They joked around, pushing and shoving the way men do. Since their leave was almost over, they'd figured that they'd head back to Veilstone, to spend their bonus at the Game Corner.

"So Dee, what do ya think would happen if we rigged the machines to blow?"

"Are you kiddin'? Saturn would kill us, she gambles more than anyone. If we- Hey!" He cried out as he tripped over a small figure lying on the ground.

"What the hell?" He stooped down. Suddenly the figure twitched, revealing it to be a young girl, no more than four years old. Her light silver hair was matted and tangled, and she looked half-starved. Even if they were in Team Galactic, the grunts weren't so evil that they'd leave the tiny creature alone in the cold. Lou bent down, picked up the child awkwardly, and noticed that she was gripping something in her thin little arms.

"An egg? How would this kid get hold of an egg?"

Dee frowned. He wanted to take it, but that seemed… wrong. He'd stolen pokemon before, but never from someone so helpless. His stone heart melted a little as she whimpered in her sleep.

"Y'know… We should take her back to HQ, Lou. She'll freeze out here."

Lou was shocked. Never had Dee done anything for someone else, as long as he had known him. His sudden change of heart scared Lou. How could one brat make Dee change so much?

"Whatever. Sure, let's take her to HQ. Maybe Mars'll know what to do with her."

They nodded, then took off towards headquarters, the night's events clearing their intoxicated minds.

"WHAT!" Mars roared at the trembling Grunts, who had just explained what had happened earlier in the night. She wasn't taking it as well as they'd hoped.

"You want us to take in this brat? What are you, idiots? Why should we-" She broke off as she looked down at the child, crouched on the ground. She looked up with huge, lavender eyes, and Mars felt a strange sensation in her chest. It almost felt like… Love. Something so foreign, so forgotten to her that it was frightening that a tiny, frail stranger would awaken her heart. Suddenly, she felt as though she could not, in any way, harm this child. Her desire to protect… Was it a motherly instinct? She sighed.

"Fine. She can stay. Maybe it'll teach you worthless Grunts to be more responsible, like a pet. By the way, she's being fed from YOUR lunches. No way are we going to pay for her!" With that she left, trying to make sense of her feelings. She could still hear the Grunts cheering as she stalked away.

**3 YEARS LATER**

"What's she up to?"

"You know her, could be anything. Ever since the Egg hatched, she's been unstoppable!" They laughed. Eva was infamous for pulling pranks with her Riolu, Luca. Just last week she had dumped Zubat droppings onto some unsuspecting Grunts on patrol. Sometimes she even pranked the higher-ups, though never as badly as dumping dung on them. Mars, Saturn, even Jupiter had fallen prey to her hijinks at least once. No one was safe as long as she was awake.

Though only seven, she had already begun her training to be part of Team Galactic. She was smart, and the training went fast. She had yet to steal a Pokemon, but eventually, she would be snatching like a pro.

From somewhere across the cafeteria came a yell; Eva had found her mark. Laughter followed, and Dee and Lou joined in. They had acted as parental figures to Eva, and had even named her.

"She's got this silver hair, like a moon at midnight. Eve, like night, new beginning, y'know? Eva sounds better though, so she's Eva."

Eva skipped lightly over to them.

"Hi Lou! Hi Dee! You should have seen Mike's face, he was so-"

"ATTACK!"

The windows shattered, and people rushed in through every entrance. Everyone rose at once, and began screaming and releasing pokemon in a frenzy. In the chaos, Eva was seperated from Dee and Lou, and instinctively crouched under a table. The chaos lasted for a long time, but eventually there were no more yells, no more outraged cries. She stayed under the table in terror.

Suddenly a face appeared in front of her. The man had black hair, which she had never seen before, as the Grunts had blue hair, and the higher-ups had brightly coloured hair as well.

"Hey, Sir! There's a GIRL here!" He turned away for a moment, and Eva took her chance. She dashed for the door, but was quickly caught by huge, tan arms. She kicked and screamed, her heart pounding.

"H-hold on a sec! We're here to save you! We'll take you home, don't worry!"

What? She was confused. Save her from what, and she was already home. Her confusion only made her struggle harder. One of the men sighed.

"May I, sir?"

"Sure, she's not gonna come with us unless we do…"

Someone yelled a command, and a flying pokemon flew up, it's red eyes unblinking as it released blue spores. Suddenly, she felt tired, really tired. She couldn't keep her eyes open…

Brock sighed, picking her up. He SO haden't expected to find a girl there. He turned to leave, already thinking of ways to explain her presence. He settled on kidnapping, and left, the tiny girl slouched in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**P.S. I do not own Pokemon. If I did, then I'd be queen of the world. Now, on with the story!**

Eva groaned, still tired. Someone was shaking her; she didn't want to get up. What time was it? She squinted her eyes open a little, expecting to be staring out of her tiny bedroom window. Instead, there was a man in front of her, his face blurry because of the sleep in her eyes. She reached up, rubbing her eyes to clear them?

"Dee? What time is it? What's for breakfa-" She broke off as she realized that it was not her father figure in front of her. Blinking hard, she glared at the man in front of her.

"Are you new? Where's Dee?"

The man looked confused. She tilted her head, waiting. His dark brown hair had yet to be regulation cut, or even dyed. He was out of uniform too. Still, he looked familiar…

Last night's events rushed back to her. The attack, the sleep powder, this guy, all of it, suddenly appeared in her mind. She started up where she had left off- screaming.

"Hyaaa! Kidnappers! Help! Dee, Lou, somebody! HELP!'

The guy looked shocked, but his eyes were still just tiny slits. He started panicking, flailing his hands in distress. What kind of kidnapper would be scared of her crying? He didn't look so tough. She'd get Luca to kick his-

Wait. Where was Luca?

"AAH! You stole my Pokemon, you fiends! Give him back! NOW!"

The guy started panicking even more, but he also looked confused.

"Pokemon? What? Did Team Galactic take your Pokemon? We'll get it back, promise!"

"What are you talking about, squinty? Why would my family take my Pokemon? They like Luca!"

"F-family?" The guy looked like he was about to faint. Luckily for him, a redhead walked up, looking stern. She sighed at him, then turned to glare at me, only for her gaze to soften as she saw the long tear-marks on my cheeks.

"Hey there, kiddo. Don't worry, you're safe now. Team Galactic can't get you. Now Brock," she turned to stare disapprovingly at the guy, "what's got you so worked up?" She leaned over as he whispered in her ear, then her face lit up with surprise and confusion.

"_What? _She says that Team Galactic is her family?" She leaned down, doubt prickling her features.

"Start talking."

Once she'd finished talking, there was a long silence, and the two adults looked thoughtful. no one moved, and Eva was scared that they'd decide to throw her in jail. During the conversation, the two had been attentive, other than asking a question or two. Apparently, being a part of Team Galactic wasn't a good thing to them.

"So… Are you gonna throw me in jail?" She ducked her head, afraid of their answer. However, they seemed shocked that she'd come to that conclusion.

"Of course not! Sweetie, you've done nothing wrong. We just need to explain a few things to you. We promise- no one will hurt you or take you to jail." The redhead smiled warmly, but Eva sensed some doubt in her eyes. Then another thought struck her.

"What about Luca? Is he a bad Pokemon? Will you take him away?" She started to cry at the thought of her precious companion and partner being locked away. The guy shook his head quickly, looking distressed again.

"No, no! Don't cry! We'll find him, don't you worry. We gathered up all the Pokemon that we found at the Headquarters, so he'll most likely be there. What species is he?"

"Riolu. Plus, he's got a special bracelet on. I made it so he wouldn't get lost. It's silver, okay? You'll find him?"

The girl smiled at her reassuringly, then started ordering somebody to get her a list of acquired Pokemon. Just minutes later, and after a few cell calls, a very tired looking Luca was carried in.

"Luca!" Eva screamed with joy as she flung herself over to her partner, with him exclaiming gleefully from between her arms. The people nearby laughed, and for a moment Eva could have sworn that she was back at base, playing around with Dee and Lou.

Then she remembered.

The guy cleared his throat. He asked everyone to leave, except for Eva, Luca and 'Misty'- apparently that was the redhead's name. She smiled, but he looked somewhat tense.

"Now that that's taken care of, it's time for you to meet someone."


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Pokemon. I would like to send shout-outs to reddolphin5000, Gold Phantom and Madame Kasumi. You rock! Like Brock! Only less pervy (I assume…)! PS My paragraph divider isn't working, so I'm just gonna start double spacing instead. Not me being bipolar writer. This chapter contains A LOT of references, probably too many, but heck.**

The heavy wooden doors swung open easily, well-maintained like the old doors at the Headquarters. The wood was embellished with carved Pokemon and Trainers, all looking excited and happy. She didn't see any Team Galactic members in the carving; why did everyone hate her family so much? She began chewing her thumbnail, an old habit that relaxed her. Who was this mysterious person that she was being taken to? Judging by the grandeur of his office, he must be someone really important. Silver and gold statues lined the halls, laced with red, blue, and green accents. Crystal vases held sparkling sapphires and rubies, possibly even emeralds. Even the stands were embellished. Each black-and-white marble stand was dotted with diamonds and pearls, with little platinum rings around each jewel.

_Who can afford to decorate like this? _Team Galactic wasn't poor, but even they weren't rich enough to have an interior like this. Thanks to her voracious reading appetite, she could even identify the kinds of wood used in the floor mosaic. Oak, elm, birch, rowan, and one more she couldn't remember… Oh! Juniper. Those were rare woods- most came from far away, in distant regions. This guy must be richer than rich.

At the end of the main hall was a large desk. The desk was covered in papers, books, and envelopes. The huge chair sitting behind the desk was turned towards a window, so Eva couldn't see the man's face. She could, however, see the top of his ballcap- what kind of rich guy wore a ball cap? His black hair jutted out messily from underneath it, looking as though no one had brushed it in days. The single arm that she could see was clothed in a simple jacket, without any sort of embellishments. It was just a normal jacket- one that anyone could pick up at the store. This person was no one special, evidently, so why would such an average person be seated in such an auspicious place?

"Say, mister, who're you?" She figured that manners were unnecessary, seeing as this was just some loser.

"Hey, kid! That's no way to talk to-" Brock broke off as the guy in the chair started laughing happily. He spun around, revealing that he was a handsome man, probably no more than 25. He wore casual clothes, with jeans and sneakers. His skin was kind of pale, but it was sort of tan from spending lots of time outdoors. His black eyes glinted onyx in the soft light eminating from the window.

"So this is her?" He looked Eva in the eyes, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"Yep. Sorry about her mouth; she doesn't seem to know manners at all." Brock sighed, and Eva twitched in annoyance. She'd just said what was on her mind. Who cared what she said to this guy?

"So… She really was raised by Team Galactic." It was a statement, not a question. "Was she trained? To steal, I mean."

"We don't believe so, but she doesn't seem to show any aggression- seriously, at least. I swear, she almost took a chunk out of my arm with all her struggling!" Brock ended on a note of annoyance.

The guy half-smiled at that, which irked Eva even more.

"Um, hello? Topic of conversation standing right over here!"

The guy smiled again, but didn't say anything. Eva wondered what was so great about this irritating, confusing dude with bedhead.

"Y'know, I just realized that I never introduced myself. I even know your name, and I nev er said mine! I'm sorry for being rude."

Eva shrugged noncommitally.

"Whatever… So what is your name?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum. Pleased to meet you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, one thing I want to semi-clarify: This is based off the games, but with Ash Ketchum as the protagonist in each, instead of different ones. The other main characters from other gens may come up, but not as the hero. PS I never thought that I'd get so much fan stuff! Thank You!**

A few moments ticked by, then Eva suddenly burst into a spit take that caused Brock to keel over backwards.

"_What?!_ Like, as in the Ash Ketchum who has been singlehandedly defeating all the major crime syndicates in the world? Champion of four regions? _You're him?_"Her jaw was dropped to the floor, and Ash wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not.

"Um… Yeah, I'm him. Why are you so surprised?"

She looked thoughful for a moment, then shrugged.

"I dunno, I always pictured the champion as a hot, manly, totally awesome hero. And you…" She sighed dejectedly, and Ash twitched irritably. He was starting to believe that she had learned something from her kleptomaniac caretakers. He bit his lip, wondering what to do. Questioning her seemed out of the question, and that had already been taken care of anyways. What else did you do with prisoners?

But that wasn't right either. She was just a kid! Kids weren't prisoners, no matter who they'd been raised by. Sure, he'd been a kid, and that should have given him somewhere to start. Setting this kid out on a journey wasn't right- she was too young, and she'd just run back to Team Galactic. What else did he do when he was young?

A thought popped into his churning mind which stood out among the throng. He considered it, then slowly smiled. He had an answer.

"So, the main problem is that you were taught by Team Galactic, right?" She nodded, her eyes sad and confused. His heart ached for her, but he was sure that he was doing the right thing. He continued;

"So, if you could be retaught by our side, then everything would be all better. Are you following me?"

Understanding and approval glowed on the faces of Misty and Brock, but Eva just looked more confused.

"Huh? W-what do you mean?" She looked absolutely terrified. Ash tried to smile reassuringly, but he was fairly sure that he'd just succeeded in making her panic more.

"I mean, you're going to school. Misty, can you handle the enrollment papers? I'd like for her to stay somewhere near here, though. I'm going to tutor her, teach her to battle. Make sure that she knows what's right and what's not." He nodded professionally, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Misty and Brock nodded. then ushered Eva out.

Before they left, he softly called, "Good luck, kid."

Eva tugged at her sleeves, not used to having full-length shirt arms. Misty had taken her out shopping for school clothes, which Eva was secretly enjoying. All her clothes had either been hand-me-downs from other Team Galactic members or stolen from Veilstone shops. She'd never actually gotten to choose her own clothing before. She decided that, seeing as she was being held against her will anyways, she might as well milk this trip as much as possible. By the end of their trip, she'd gotten at least a dozen sets of new clothes, plus hats and accessories. Misty even surprised Eva with a big stuffed Mareep, with super soft fake wool and cute little button eyes. She hugged it all day, scared of losing it. She'd never had a real toy before. Dee had given her a rag doll before, but that was just something he'd swiped the day before. She'd lost it in the raid, so she didn't even have that to remind her of home. With the new clothes, new toys, and new room, she had nothing left to remind her of Dee and Lou. Her heart hurt. She wanted to go home.

Tears started pricking at her sad violet eyes, threatening to spill into crystalline rivers down her cheeks. She quickly destroyed the evidence by rubbing the tears from her lids. Dee would have laughed at her for being so weak. Why was she crying, anyways? She had food, and water, and she wasn't in danger. Plus, she had Luca back. She wished that Luca had come shopping, but he'd stayed behind to raid the kitchen. She'd been sad to leave him, but he'd promised- or at least that's what she thought he'd said- to bring back prank materials. Apparently, he'd seen blue Miltank cheese in the pantry. Once she found some water balloons, Brock would have a lovely surprise…

She smiled, imagining his girly squeal. Then, remembering where she would likely be tomorrow, her smile disappeared. She realised that there was something that she didn't know about the approaching ultimatum.

"Um, Misty? What exactly is this school?" She looked up at the redhead, worry clearly etched into her face. She watched as the redhead thought, tilting her head and rubbing her chin.

"Well… This school is brand new- it's a new kind of Pokemon School, where you learn all about different kinds of Pokemon, attacks, regions, types, history and more! You learn in a classroom with a bunch of other kids, and-"

"Other kids?" Eva squeaked. She'd never met other kids before!

"Eva, don't be scared! No one will know how you, um, grew up. They won't make fun of you!" Misty was trying to be reassuring, but she was only succeeding in making Eva feel worse.

"Oh, and you get lots of pencils and books there- you love books, right? And you get to learn things, and there are tests- battle tests, written tests, to see how much you know. Don't worry, Eva! You'll do great on the tests! Plus, you get to bring Luca along! Won't that be fun?"

Eva sniffled, her tiny hands shaking.

"S-so, you're coming with me, right?"

Misty looked away quickly, biting her lip.

"No?" Misty looked at her apologetically.

"I knew it! You're abandoning me! You're lying- you're gonna lock me up! I can't believe it! You kidnapped me, lied to me, and now you're dumping me! I _hate _you!" Eva pivoted around, darting away from Misty and bolting out the department store doors. She didn't stop running, ducking down alleys and turning whenever she hit an intersection. Eventually she hit a dead end, where she curled up behind a dumpster. Losing her adrenaline, she began sobbing. She cried until it felt as though her tears had run dry. Gradually she drifted out of consciousness, still clutching her Mareep.

**AHA! Finally done! I've been working on this FOREVER but still not very happy with it. I actually only thought up the ending as I was writing it, heheh. Ya, well, whatever. PS PLEEEEZE Review! I loves da peoples! Reviews make my week- even one. Please, for only a few clicks a minute, you could bring happiness to a geek in need. Donate today.**


	5. Chapter 5

Eva awoke to an annoying sound, getting louder and louder from nearby. Beep… Beep… Beep… Crunch! She jolted up, fully alert now. What was that?

Crunch! Again, a violent reverbration shook her, making her teeth chatter. Looking out from behind the dumpster, she squeaked in alarm. A garbage truck was backing up into her hidingplace, with huge metal prongs secured around the overflowing trash receptacle to which she was clinging to. Coming to her senses, Eva leaped back, deeper into the alley to avoid the menacing mechanism. But it was too late. Her too-long sleeve was caught between the lifting poles and the dumpster, the tough fabric unfazed by the enormous pressure cutting into it's cuff.

"No!" She struggled, twisting and writhing, desperately leaning away from the dumpster. Then things got worse.

Slowly, the arms began lifting the dumpster, tipping it up and over, into the garbage compactor. Eva was lifted by her shirt and slammed into the cold dumpster wall. Her throat burned where the collar was grinding the skin, surely shredding it apart if the pain was any indication. She tried to call out, but only a strangled mewl broke through.

_I'm going to die, _she thought in despair, _without ever seeing Dee or Lou again… _Desperately, she clawed at her shirt, but her vision was starting to go white. Her strength was failing. Her flailing grew weaker and weaker.

All of a sudden she was jerked back, and her shirt's sleeve finally gave. With a violent rip, the cuff broke right off, leaving a jagged tear all the way up the seam. Eva squeaked as she fell, but instead of the cold concrete she expected, a warm body broke her fall instead.

"Ow! Jeez, girl! How much do you weigh?" A strained, annoyed boy's voice sounded from underneath her. Eva rolled off of the kid, propping herself up to get a good look at him.

The kid had dark red hair, with skin almost as brown as Brock's. His amber eyes glared at her, but they twinkled with relief. He sat up, holding his head, and asked if she was alright. When she nodded, he smiled widely.

"Good. You were almost dumpster-chow. Now," he grunted as he rose to his feet, then reached out to help her up, "how 'bout you explain what you're doing in this alley."

Eva looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. Even if he had saved her life, she wasn't about to spill her life's story to this guy. How, though, could she explain without saying anything really important? She had to say something; she owed him at least that.

"Well… There are… people who want to send me to jail for something I did. I didn't know that it was wrong, though! They tried to trick me, and they said that they wouldn't arrest me, but they lied." She bit her lip. It wasn't exactly a _lie_, but it wasn't exactly the truth, either.

"Well, if you're trying to hide, I know just the place."

Gazing at him in surprise, Eva raised an eyebrow in a sort of _Are you serious? _expression. He grinned, and, strating to walk away, turned back and said "Welcome to Neverland.

Wow.

That was the only word to describe what Eva was looking at. The kid was already stretched out on a couch, arms behind his head in a totally relaxed way. He grinned, taking in her shock.

"What is this place?" Eva was completely blown away.

From the outside, their destination had appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, with broken windows and holes in the roof. Once they'd entered through a hidden door, however, the building had turned from dilapitated to tricked out.

A huge spiral stair case dominated the center of the room, with bunk beds hanging off of the steps and frame. Several lounge chairs, couches, bean bags and mattresses were strewn around on the floor. About halfway up the stairs was a loft, suspended by both wires and struts. Several televisions, game systems, PCs and computers were humming and blinking from the elevated platform, with voices and music sounding from several. The stairs disappeared into an attic space where strange pinging and beeping noises resounded with strange echoed tenors. The most surprising thing was the people. Everywhere, on almost every bed, couch and chair, was a person of some size and shape. Little kids, old people, everyone lived together in this one big house.

No one looked even reasonably surprised that Eva was standing there, as if weird-looking strangers with ripped clothing walked in every day. Looking at the stained, old clothing on many of the children, maybe they did.

"Perez! Did you bring someone new back again?" A teenage girl with blonde hair marched over, her hands on her hips.

"Yep!" The boy- Perez, apparently- just grinned at her, totally nonchalant. The girl replied with a smirk.

"Good. There more the merrier, we say! So, what's your name?" Eva realized that the girl was talking to her now.

"Um, Eva, ma'am. My name's Eva. I'm new." The girl laughed at how nervous she sounded, and how redundant her statements were.

"Nice to meet you, Eva. I'm Lisa. You've met Perez. I won't bother listing everyone's name, 'cause you'd be here all night. You'll learn them eventually, living here with us." She smiled reassuringly, reaching out to squeeze Eva's shoulder. The gesture relaxed Eva somewhat, and she let slip a hesitant smile. Lisa grinned.

"We're happy to have you, Eva. We're not going to throw you out." She gave Eva a motherly look.

"Welcome to the family."


	6. Chapter 6

Amazingly, after only a few hours, Eva was already settling into the Base's routine. Dinner was pizza, with cola, chips and ice cream. Eva had never eaten such a caloric, unhealthy meal. She was loving it. There was almost no structure, and no one really cared if you had your feet on the table. The free atmosphere of the place was getting to her, but in a good way, making her more open to laugh and smile. One kid, een younger than her, had given her a tiny stuffed Buneary to "make her better". That's when she realised that she'd lost her poor Mareep in the alleyway, having been too panicked to recover it at the time. She frowned, feeling awful for losing the one toy that she had, that was actually hers.

At sometime in the afternoon, about 3 o'clock Eva guessed, a bell rang, and some of the older kids- like Lisa and Perez- got up from their numerous resting places. Smiling, they grabbed bags, backpacks and boxes, all of which were empty.

"What are they doing?" Eva stared after them as they paraded out the door, moving boards back over the opening to conceal it.

A boy laughed, and he winked as Eva looked at him quizzically.

"They're out collecting. Theyv gather up recyclables to cash in, as well as other things, like lost jewelry and stuff like that." At Eva's shocked expression, he reiterated, saying, "No! They don't sell the jewelry. They turn it in for a reward. We're not evil. Sometimes they'll bring back whole beds and that have been thrown away, so Billy can fix 'em. Billy's our mechanic, but he also fixes other stuff too. He can fix anything!" The kid smiled, his brown eyes twinkling.

"By the way," he added, "my name's Terry. I'm Billy's little brother." He grinned. Eva smiled back, suddenly wishing that she had an awesome older brother like Terry's.

"Hey, Terry! Yer makin' it sound like we're a bunch o' good-fer-nuthin's! Some of us have _jobs, _y'know!" A lady was shouting down from the loft, her voice strangely accented. She was older than anyone Eva'd met there so far, probably in her twenties. She had pale skin and black hair, which was pulled into a spiky ponytail.

"Whatever, Elara! As if flipping dough in the air is a real job!" From his overdramatic sneer, Eva guessed that this kind of play-arguing happened a lot between the two.

"Hey! This dough-flipper's the reason yer _fed, _brat! See if yer getting any extra's on my shift!"

"Like I'd want extras of _your _awful cooking!"

Eva laughed, enjoying the argument almost as much as the others were. Others started getting in on it, defending one person or the other, and it soon erupted into a building-wide pillow fight. Spitting feathers, Eva screamed with excitement. Flailing wildly, she scored a hit on Terry that sent his tumbling into a couch. He played dead while Eva poked at him, still laughing he leapt at her, tickling her ribs. She shrieked, hitting him with a pillow frantically. The room was filled with exhausted, laughing people, most gasping for air. Eva had never had so much fun. Well, maybe once…

"Dee! Look at me!" Eva spun around, her arms full of flowers. The tiny girl giggled, her long silver hair splayed out over her shoulders. The cafeteria caused her laughter to echo, making it sound as if a dozen Evas were dancing. Dee smiled at her, and with one quick motion flipped her into the air, catching her just before she hit the floor. It was dangerous, and reckless, but it was one of the few times that Dee actually made an effort to amuse her. Sure, there was no one looking, but it was still a dangerous action for Dee. He thought of himself as a hardened criminal, so playing with a toddler was bad for his image.

"Yay! Do it again!" Dee actually began laughing with her unknowingly, having as much fun as the tiny four-year-old. Dee would never admit it, but he loved how fatherly he felt when with Eva. That was why he'd nabbed a bouquet of flowers from a florists on his way to the base. Whenever anyone else was around, he acted as if Eva was an annoyance, one that he wanted nothing to do with. He claimed not to have an ounce of tenderness in his heart, but the speck of love he did have was completely filled with Eva.

"Higher, Dee!" She squealed when he threw her up high in the air, catching her by her ankle. Lowering the child to the ground, Dee quickly looked around, seeing if anyone had witnessed his childish playing. His heart stopped.

Jupiter stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised at him. Dee broke into a cold sweat. Just as he was preparing an explanation, Eva ran over to Jupiter, hugging her leg and smiling. Jupiter leaned away in surprise, too confused to brush the girl off.

"Jupiter! Dee was playing with me! He threw me, then got me, then threw me!" Eva exhuberant chatter somehow got to Jupiter, and she leaned down, gently pulling the little girl off her leg. Scared for his ward, Dee once again prepared to defend her, but stopped short when he realized that Jupiter was smiling. Crouching down, she looked Eva in the eye.

"Is that so? Did he throw you… Like this?" She catapulted the girl into the air, a genuine smile gracing the commander's face. For a half hour they Mankeyed around, tossing Eva high in the air before catching her inches from the floor. The fun ended with an announcement from Cyrus, calling all Team Galactic members to a meeting. With a smile, Jupiter left, with Dee hurrying after. Left alone, Eva scampered back to her closet-turned bedroom, pulling her beloved friend Eggy out from under the bed.

"Dee and Jupiter played with me today," she whispered into the speckled shell, "and they weren't even ordered to! It was so much fun. I can't wait 'til you hatch so we can play together." She swore that she felt the egg twitch in happiness. She grinned. Snuggling the egg close to her, she curled up on her cot, pulling the blanket tight around her tiny body.

"Goodnight, Eggy. See you tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hiya peoples! SORRY my computer's broken, only holds about an hour's charge. I'm trying, though! PS Check out AnimexCat333, who's awesomely epic. Ciao!**

Eva woke up to yellow.

_Yellow?_

Reaching up to her face, she felt something soft and fluffy. Sitting up in confusion, she hit her head on something hard.

"Ow! What the heck, Golem-head?" Perez's indignant shout whirled around in her throbbing head. Opening her eyes wide, she saw Perez on the floor next to her, rubbing his forehead, clutching a dirty stuffed toy.

"Mareep!" Leaping forward, she hugged the stuffie and Perez at the same time, laughing in joy.

"How did you find her?"

"Ha!" Eva jumped, Elara's voice booming from right next to her ear.

"He hunted for that thing for hours, diggin' through alley trash an' dumpsters 'til he found it. Even cleaned it up first, to make you happy!" She laughed heartily, patting Perez on the head. He blushed heavily, averting his eyes. Eva smirked, then started patting his head in time with Elara.

"Aww, what a sweet thing to do! You really are a nice guy. I hear girls like a sensitive side you know!" She was trying hard not to laugh at Perez's mortified face.

"Sh-shut up! What do you know? That's the last time I do something for you!" With that he jumped up and spun, charging off to another corner of the central room. Eva only then noticed that there were multiple doors scattered around the area, each one having a different handwritten sign on it.

"What are those rooms?"

Elara laughed, but before she could say anything, Lisa walked over, smiling.

"Those rooms are for everything we can't do in the main room here, like changing, bathing, stuff like that. One room is the infirmary, and another is our storeroom." Lisa gestured to each door as she listed the use of their adjacent rooms.

"That room there's a torture chamber," said Elara with a wink, "where we put them kids who d'int lissen to me when I said to clean up!" She hit Perez's head with a menacing smile, pulling him close in a chokehold-like vice. Eva laughed nervously, with a pleading look to Lisa for an explanation. To her relief, Lisa laughed.

"That's my office, where I do my work. No one's allowed in there, so we joke that it's a secret torture chamber. Keeps the little ones in line." She smiled angelically, but her eyes glinted with malicious warning. Eva got the message.

"That's so cool! So, why do you have an office and no one else does?"

Lisa smiled, but there was a bit of a shadow in her usually bright face. She brushed back her golden hair, and sighed slightly.

"I guess… You could say I'm in charge, sort of. I'm the one who figures out how much money we have, and what our money-earners like Elara make, plus what we can scrounge up here and there. It's a lot of work, and I don't like people messing up my desk, so it's off limits. Are you satisfied?" Eva felt that there was more to the story, but nodded anyway.

"Good. Now, it's time for morning announcements!"

"… and Cletus turns twelve today! Happy birthday, kid! Just two more years 'til you're not a freeloader! Also, we have a new member today… well, yesterday night, I guess… um, but everybody welcome Eva to the family! Now, would Shift One please get out and work? Thank you!" Lisa sighed dramatically, but was smiling.

"Wow," Eva exclaimed in amazement, "you do that every morning? How do you remember it all?"

"Cause she's got some freaky mind thingy, 's why! She's outright spooky!"

"Careful Elara, or I'll start 'remembering' about the time you-"

"Shush it!"

Eva laughed, then skipped cheerfully over to where Terry was watching T.V. with a bunch of other kids. All were older than her, at least ten, and some looked old enough to be working. Most were girls, which Terry didn't seem to mind at all. His frizzy brown hair was nearly on end with excitement, which was only partially related to the show.

"Whatcha watching?"

"A show about Champion Ash. He's so cool!"

All of the girls sighed, then one asked, "Do you think he's as hot in person?"

"No, he's actually really plain-looking. He's not even that cool." Eva realised immediately that she'd said something wrong.

"How do you know what he looks like?"

Oh no.


	8. Backstory: Elara

**Hi! These next chapters will be all about backstories of various main OCs. Haha, well, now that I have a sort-of cliffhanger to keep you reading, I can do whatever I want! HAHAHA! PS I'll need 3 comments in exchange for getting back to the story. BWAHAHA! Enjoy 3**

**ELARA**

"Why do you talk like that?" Eva's curiosity led to the question, and she had gotten to know Elara well enough that being polite wasn't a big deal.

"What's at, kiddo? Why I talk like this? "Cause I'm not from round here. I'm from the Oblivia region, way fars away. It's a beautiful place." She trailed off, staring out the hidden window at the alleyway. Eva was confused.

"So why didn't you stay? I mean, if it's so nice there, why do you live here with us?"

Elara pretended to look deeply thoughtful, then laughed.

"Well, I guess it's story time!" Eva, grinning, immediately plopped down in a bean bag chair decorated with flowers, staring intently at the raven-haired woman.

"Where to start…"

"I's born in Oblivia, on Sophian Island. My family helped run a day spa, but times 'er tough. After a few years o' almost no business, we were in debt up to our elbows. We din't even have money for food. So I stole some." She looked sad, but recovered when she saw Eva's worried expression.

"It wasn't much- just a lil' bitty. Pizza money, actually!" She laughed, but Eva didn't really get it.

Elara noticed the girl's confusion. "Tha's why I works at the Pizzeria, chickie! To remember why I'm here." Elara smiled, but not a happy smile. It wasn't a sad smile either, though. It was something different…

"Wait," Eva burst in, "you never said why you came here!" Elara tapped her chin, realising that her story was incomplete.

"Well… I been stealing money, so Oblivia din't want me no more. They chasin' me everywhere! So, I left, and Sinnoh's such a new, nice place that I say 'I'll stay!' After that, tho'…" She paused.

"Well, see, ev'n Sinnoh'd heard I's a thief, so they said 'No!' to poor Elara. I was hungry, o' course, and the Base's leader finds me, and tells me 'Stay here! We like you!' So I's stayin' here. The job, well, can't get many jobs bein' a crook. Either pizza or join Team Galactic for me!" She looked as if the choice was obvious, but Eva just felt worse. Apparently, earning next-to-nothing flipping pizza dough was immensely preferable to joining Team Galactic.

Why?


	9. Backstory: Perez

***Evil organ music* Weeeelcome… Oh, whatever. Anyways, the backstories continue until 3 people comment! HAHAHA! Well, unless you WANT me to do backstories… Comment and tell! (hahaha…) PS This is probably my chapter most likely to be re-written. PPS Please comment with ideas! (Not that I have writer's block or anything :l )**

**PEREZ**

"OW! Y' BRAT!" Perez tore away from a soaked Elara, laughing his head off as he kicked up dust. A blazing-eyed Elara followed, a vision of terror. Eva smiled, knowing what would happen next. She, along with Terry, counted down on her fingers.

Three…

Two…

One…

"AAH!" Perez's cry landed right on cue, and everyone burst out laughing.

"Has he always been like that?" Eva asked rhetorically. Terry looked at her, and the look in his eyes showed that he knew something she didn't. It wasn't a gloating look.

"What?"

"Well," Terry said with a wink, "you'll have to ask him yourself!" Realizing that Perez had re-entered the area, Eva bounced over to her now-bruised friend.

"Hey Perez! Y'know, I've been wondering- why are you here?" He looked surprised, and a little uncomfortable. Looking around, he whispeder something in her ear. The room, however, was too loud, and she didn't catch it.

"What?"

"I said," he repeated slightly louder, "that it's not something I just want everyone to know." Eva thought for a moment, then whispered something back to him. Once again, though, the room was too loud.

"What?" Eva rolled her eyes, then yelled;

"IF YOU SAY YOUR SECRET, I'LL SAY MINE!" Perez was staring at her flatly, one eyebrow raised.

"How can someone so tiny be so dang _loud?"_

Perez ushered her out into the alleyway, looking warily around for eavesdroppers. When no one followed them, he swung her over to the next alley, where they crouched beside a thankfully empty dumpster.

"Okay, so what do you want to know?" He asked uncomfortably, as if regretting his choice to reveal his secrets.

"Just why you live at the base." She said in a serious, patient way. Her violet eyes bored into him until he finally averted his gaze.

"Tch! You're so nosy! But you have to promise to tell me your secret after, okay?" She nodded, looking more curious than worried.

"Well, you better get comfy, 'cause this is a long story…"

"I was born in Saffron City- but I'm from Sinnoh. I was just born there 'cause my parents were helping Silph Co. out with some project. So, anyways, my mom… she died, like, a year after I was born. Apparently, someone told her that a piece of equipment was totally safe, and- well, she died. My dad got real torn up. I don't have any relatives, so most of the time he'd stick me in daycares. Sometimes he even forgot to pick me up. A bunch of times the Daycare ladies had to take me to his lab because he'd forgotten I existed. He never really acted like I was even his son.

"So, anyways, about two years ago, he dumped me at some playgroup, and he never came to pick me up. I looked for him everywhere, but he was gone. I followed a clue that led me here, to Veilstone. And…" He trailed off, looking down at his hands angrily. He made a fist.

"I-I found out he'd gone to work for Team Galactic. And when I went looking for him there, they said that he belonged to them now, and that I should just go die. I hate them. I hate them all! And I hate Dad, too, for getting involved with them. I hate anyone connected to them!" He looked at Eva.

"You hate them too, right? Everyone does," he urged.

And so, for the first time, Eva lied outright to someone's face.

"Yeah. I hate them too!" She smiled, but she felt broken inside. Was it true? Was the family that had raised her, loved her, really be that evil?


	10. Backstory: Terry

**Hiya! Okay, there are like NO reviewers! WHY? Please, it takes like 2 seconds! Anyways, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I just own the games. Well, like, not the RIGHTS to the games… You get what I mean!**

**TERRY**

"Billy! We got a washing machine to fix!" Terry called to his brother in the back room. Eva realized suddenly that she'd never met the genius mechanic Billy, who was apparently responsible for most of the base's technology.

She followed Terry into a back room, weaving around couches, beds and people. Someone rolled over into her legs, tripping her and sending her tumbling into Terry. He squawked as the tiny body went flying into his back. They both shot forward, so instead of stepping into Billy's workshop, the flew into Billy.

"Hey! Little brother, did you trip over your own feet _again?" _a teenage-soundng voice remarked in surprise. Eva was confused. She was sure that they'd flown into someone, but whoever it was hadn't moved an inch. She also noticed that she was being squished between Terry and someone else.

"Hey little brother! Knocking is an acceptable form of warning, y'know. Oh, is this your girlfriend?"

Eva went red. Violently shoving Terry off of her, she turned to glare with humiliation at whoever had dared to infer that she liked Terry.

The guy looked like an older, skinnier Terry, with his same crazy, frizzy hair, except that his was a pale ginger as opposed to Terry's mousy brown. His eyes looked tired. He was sitting down, and leaning on one arm as if observing them. He had the expression of someone you wouldn't want to trust with your wallet. At the same time, he looked seriously smart. His red eyes were like picks that dug into her, examining her- not in a creepy way, more like someone would examine an interesting toy. She was a little afraid of him.

Timidly, she asked, "Are you Billy?" He smiled.

"I see my reputation precedes me!" He grinned with a wink, "So what lies have people been spreading about me? I don't get out much, see, so I can't stop rumours. Did you hear I'm a monster with three heads and a tail? Or that I eat Pokemon eggs for breakfast?" He was obviously joking, but Eva was still scared.

Billy noticed her anxiety, and his eyes softened. leaning forward, he stepped-

Wait. No, not stepped, _rolled._Billy was seated in a wheelchair that was tricked out with a TV, robotic arms, and something that looked like a mini vending machine. He had on a grande-sized toolbelt and a tool-jacket, with every pocket stuffed to bursting. He had tools that she had no name, or even description for.

"So where's this washing machine, Terry? We really don't need another one, so how 'bout we trick it out?

Eva's mouth dropped in amazement. In only a few minutes, Billy had transformed a decrepit, derelict dump of a washing machine into a rotating, bubble-blowing Pokemon bathtub. Already, a group of Cleffa were scrubbing up in it. From Eva's point of view, he had some sort of superpower which allowed his hands to move in twenty different directions at once.

Her eyes sparkled with pure admiration. She had completely forgotten every misconception she'd had about Billy. She crowded up to his side so close that he jumped- sort of.

"Billy! You're so cool! How are you even related to Terry?" As Billy patted a crying Terry's head, he laughed, smiling widely at his newest fan club member.

"I'm glad you weren't scared away by me, kid! I'm glad you're here, even if you are a freeloader like my brother." Billy said with a grin. Terry began sobbing in comical dispair, but Eva was too happy to care. She'd found her place.

But wait, said something in the back of her mind. What about Dee? Lou? And Luca. Luca had to show up soon. But the others…

She shook her head, frustrated. No. She would _not _get all depressed when she was supposed to be happy. Giggling, she jumped onto a stray couch cushion, bounced off a bed and landed on Elara's head.

"KYAAAA! BRAT ATTACK!" Elara squealed in pseudo-fear. Pretending to be vicious Ursaring, the rest of the kids dogpiled her, and Eva's sad thoughts disappeared in a mix of screams and giggles.

"So if Billy's such a genius," munched Eva to Terry in between bites of her double garlic cheese pizza, "why's he fixin' scrap like a hobo? Like, why're you here?" As with Elara, she knew that Terry was easygoing enough to shake off rudeness.

"Oh… Well, everyone kinda knows, so I guess you can too. But don't tell no one, right? You gotta promise." She nodded stoickally, eyes wide. Terry gave a conspiratorial glance around, then leaned in.

"Okay, so, me and Billy are from Johto. I never knew my dad, but my mom worked really hard to keep a roof over our heads. Then, one day…" he trailed off, and Eva felt bad for asking, but he picked back up again, "one day she-she never came home. She got mugged, even though she could barely afford food. We couldn't pay for a funeral, but some guys offered to do it for us if Billy fixed their machine. We didn't have any other choice. But, as it turns out, the guys were crooks, and the thing Billy fixed hurt a whole lotta people. Billy never told me what it did, exactly. They locked up Billy's wheelchair and knocked him out so that he'd take the blame!" Terry squinted his eyes in anger. Eva's heart ached for him, but she didn't need to show her understanding. They were close enough that she didn't have to say it. Instead, she said, "What happened?"

"What do you think? He got caught. And I was all alone, and he knew if he told people about me I'd get put in an orphanage. So, he whipped some things together and broke out!" Terry looked proud, but Eva was shocked. Billy had been in _jail?_

"So basically, after that, we roamed around, picking up jobs wherever we could, and finally found this place. The ending's boring, but that's why we're here." He shrugged, smiling in a knowing way. It was strange to see Terry looking serious.

"Hey kiddlings!" Elara called from across the room, "I believe that our newest addition has yet to hear the song of Oblivia!"

"The one about the hero?" One little girl asked.

"Yep! That's the one! Here goes,"

_A deep, deep valley blocks the way_

_If you can pass go ahead I say_

_The scary valley likes to brag, _

"_No one can cross my rocky crags_

_What nonsense speaks this silly valley? _

_For Great Raikou, it's one bound_

_Hero on it's back, just one bound _

_A giant boulder blocks the way_

_If you can pass go ahead I say_

_The massive rock says, full of sass, _

"_No one can move my hefty mass!"_

_What nonsense speaks this silly boulder?_

_For great Entei it's one blow_

_Even a huge stone, just one blow_

_A wide, wide river blocks the way_

_If you can pass go ahead I say_

_The raging river likes to roar_

"_No one can reach my other shore!"_

_What nonsense speaks this silly river?_

_For Great Suicune, it's one step_

_Hero on it's back, just one step_

Elara had a beautiful voice. Eva and the other children begged her to sing again and again, until it was finally time for bed.

"Could I be a hero, Elara?" Eva asked innocently.

"Of course," Elara smiled, "anyone can be a hero if the try hard enough."

Eva's dreams were filled of heroic quests that night, and she woke with a dream worth pursuing.

"I'm gonna be a hero!"


	11. Chapter 8

**Okay, people reviewed, so it's back to the main story. When we last left, Eva had let it slip that she knew Ash. I feel like the story's going pretty slow, so I'm giving it a boost. Ciao!**

"How do you know what he looks like?" Surprisingly the question does not come from one of the snooty girls. Instead it comes from her rag-topped friend Perez who looks at her with a look that speaks of suspicion and diselief. Why would he look like that when the other girls just look confused?

"Yeah! Good point!" One of the girls interjects, "He never appears on TV or anything; it's some sort of privacy thing. So how could you know, kid?"

Eva's cheeks flare, though the girl oviously hadn't een interrogating her. The girl- Mindy, if Eva rememered correctly- was asking in a tone that said "Whatever you say, I probably won't believe you because you're a kid, but I'll humour you anyway". She felt the need to defend herself.

_NO, _her subconscious screams, _you can't tell them! They won't like you! _But inside, Eva didn't like lying.

"He's the reason I'm here," she begins. "He took me away from home because he thought that the people taking care of me were no good, but then he said he was going to lock me up in jail forever! PLUS he stole my partner!" She may have been exaggerating, but her new family needed to know how awful the Champion was. Well, he was okay, but… It was too confusing to think about.

"He did what?!" Everyone in the room choruses in at the same time, shocked.

"I don't believe it," someone said with a dismayed tone, "I just don't believe that the amazing Champion could do that!"

"Well, he could," Eva pouted, "and he did. Else I wouldn't be here, or Luca would be here with me." Everyone started talking at once, crying or laughing or yelling at her to explain.

"Eva," a soft voice said, and the room went silent. Eva realized that Lisa has come out into the main room to see what the commotion was about.

"Eva," she repeated, "did he really take you away from your family? Why didn't you try to find them?" She was the first person to ask her a question as if she wasn't doubting the authenticity of her story. She _was _disredarding Luca, but Eva guessed that she was just overwhelmed.

Eva was quick to explain away her 'family situation' by reminding them that she didn't live with her real parents, but that the people who had raised her were the only family she remembered. Lisa and the rest listened attentively, though some still shot doubtful looks and whispered to each other.

"By the way," Eva cheeped, "where are we? This lady called Misty took me out shopping for clothes, but I don't know where we actually are."

"Yer in Sunyshore, kidling!" Elora's sharp voice cracked a little, and Eva felt bad that she'd upset her vivacious friend. Then her basic geography kicked in and she realized just how close she was to home.

"How soon could I get to Veilstone from here?" She instilled all of her hope into that sentence, but she made the mistake of looking at Perez when she said it. He looked puzzled.

"Hold on a sec. So, they just _told _you that you were going to prison?"

Eva squirmed uncomfortably.

"No, they said they were going to send me to a 'school', but they made a mistake by saying that I had to go alone. Everyone at my old training grou- I mean, school, used to go together…" She trailed off when the room exploded into laughter. Elara actually had tears trailing down her face. What was so funny?

"Stupid! Kids go to school on their own here! Of course no adults come!" Perez was looking at her with a weird face- very similar to his normal face, Eva noted.

After the room had quieted down, Lisa held her hand up to say something. The crowd parted, allowing her to make her way to the front, maneuvering between people, pokemon and furniture.

"Eva, you realize that they weren't actually locking you away now, right? And, seeing as they cared about you enough to send you to school…"

Elara picked up with realization, "…they'll come looking for you."

_Three days ago, Pokemon League Headquarters Sinnoh._

"Misty, it's not your fault," Ash consoled the heartbroken redhead who was weeping at her desk. She'd been destitute since Eva's diappearance. She blamed herself for the child's panic in the store.

Brock spoke up, surprising Ash. He hadn't heard the dark-skinned man enter.

"Ash, there's been a new development. Eva's Riolu Luca is freaking out. He's attempted to escape, but he's secured pretty well-" Brock was interrupted by a guard bursting in to report that Luca had escaped, much to the chagrin of the trio. Brock grinned, though, when he remembered the tracking device that they had implanted into the Riolu's collar.

"I know that he'll lead us to Eva," Ash stated seriously to the others, calling his partner Pikachu over from his bed in the corner, "because they have a deep connection- maybe as deep as that of me and Pikachu." He scratched his partner behind the ears, contemplative. He knew that their yound charge would be safe home soon, if Luca had anything to say about it.

**Ugh, long chapter that took me a long time. Finals are coming up, and I'm procrastinating. Oh well. **


End file.
